Flashlight



Jan. 16, 1951 sc 2,538,332

FLASHLIGHT Filed D80. 15, 1945 INVENTOR. DONALD c scuespea AT Tom/2Y5Patented Jan. 16, 1951 FLASHLIGHT Donald G. Schaefer, Toledo, Ohio,assignor to Fulton Manufacturing Corporation, Wauseon, Ohio, acorporation of Ohio Application December 15, 1945,, Serial No. 635,301

(Cl. I24010.'6)

2 Claims.

The present invention relates generally to the art of electricillumination and more particularly to a novel lighting element adaptedfor attachment to a flashlight and to a flashlight including saidelement.

A flashlight of simple construction and convenient size and shape andhaving a plurality of illuminating elementshas long been an unsatisfledneed. The utility of such a flashlight in industrial or home use isreadily apparent. Such an instrument could, for instance, be providedwith light elements of various colors and intensities for sig-nalingandfor extracting the greatest amount of electric energy from batteryelements in an efficient and effective manner.

In attempting to produce a device meeting this need others have onlysucceeded in making flashlights too complicated for commercialproduction and sale in competition with ordinary flashlights, and toocumbersome for practical flashlight uses. The devices of the presentinvention, on the contrary, are simple in construction and can be madeand sold at prices competitive with ordinary flashlights and flashlightlighting elements and are otherwise fully responsive to this persistentbut heretofore unsatisfied demand.

In the drawings which accompany and form a part of this specification:

Fig. l is an elevation view partly in section of one embodiment of mypresent invention;

Fig. 2 is a view similar to Fig. l but showing certain parts in adifferent position;

Fig. 3 is a perspective, fragmentary View of the novel lighting elementof Fig. l; and

Fig. 4 is an enlarged sectional view partly in elevation taken on line4-4 of Fig. 3.

Referring to Figs. 3 and 4, the element of the present invention, whichis adapted for attachment to a source of power and for integration witha flashlight as depicted in the other figures above, comprises a disc 1,an arm 2 extending outwardly from said disc, and bulb t, sheath 5 andspring 6, all co-axially disposed within said tube, and cap 1.

The disc I is composed of electrically conductive material, preferably athin copper plate, and is of substantially the same diameter as aconventional flashlight shell. This disc is preferably formed integrallywith arm 2 and is provided with a central opening. Except for the innerperipheral area of the disc where it is joined to the tube 3, the discis substantially monoplanar.

Arm 2 has its broad or side surface disposed at right angles to theplane of the disc and is curved spring member.

2 goodcontact with the inner surface of a flashlight shell or metalcontact element of the shell if the shell is plastic and notelectrically conductive.

Tube 3 may be made of any suitable electrical conducting material suchas copper, steel or plastic with metal contact strips, and is ofgenerally uniform cylindrical shape except in the vicinity of the endimmovably fixed to the disc where the inner wall is bent inwardlyappreciably thereby forming a shoulder 8 and constricting the tubeopening and is then flared outwardly to form a flange 9, therebydefining an annular recess between the shoulder and flange in which theinner peripheral edge of the disc is received. Firm and immovableattachment of the tube and the disc is accomplished by crimping, i. e.compressing, this inner edge of the disc I between the flange 9 and theexternal shoulder '8 of the cylinder. At the opposite end of the tube 3are located three lugs I!) which are formed integrally with the tube andextend a short distance toward its axis from points equally spacedaround the tube circumference.

Sheath 5 is a cylindrical metal shape threaded upon its inside wall toreceive and hold a conventional screw bulb 4. This sheath is flangedoutwardly as at i I at its end remote from the disc and is seated uponthe three lugs l0 and at its other end has free sliding engagement intube 3, except for the restraining influence of spring 6. This spring iscompressed and disposed between the inner surface of tube 3 and theouter surface of the sheath 5 and bears at one end upon the flange l ofthe sheath and at the other end upon the internal shoulder 8 of thetube.

Although bulb 4 is inserted and secured in tube 3 and extends throughthe opening in disc I, it is not, either in the assembly or theoperation of this device of my invention, in direct physical contactwith either the tube 3 or the disc I. It is engaged in threadedconnection with sheath 5 which, in cooperation with tube 3, confinesspring 5 and which is movable lengthwise relative to the tube uponcompression and de-compression of the As illustrated in the variousfigures, the bulb 4 at all times extends through this sheath 5 andprojects beyond it at both ends, the filament being at one end of thesheath and its central filament terminal being at the other end of thesheath. As shown in Fig. 2, however, the terminal end of the bulb doesnot always project beyond the tube 3, the two lying in the same planeand engaging a common surface when the spring is under the maximumcompression emo w r ly t press h face a inst, and make played in normaloperation of the device.

Cap 1 has an annular shoulder I2 bearing against disc 1, and has a screwthreaded skirt l3 to engage with the threaded end of a conventionalflashlight shell. This cap is composed of translucent material and maybe colored, as desired.

Referring next to Figs. 1 and 2, the foregoing assembly is depicted inoperating attachment to a flashlight comprised of shell l4, batteries 15within the shell, a-light bulb 16 within cup I! of electrical insulatingmaterial screwed on shell It and a switch I 8 for operatively connectingsaid batteries and bulb electrically. Cup l1 includes an end portion [9of suitable transparent electrical insulating material which is providedwith an annular threaded flange 20 screwed into the outer end of cup IT,as illustrated in Figs. 1 and 2. As shown in in Fig. 1, the apparatus isso adjusted that bulb 4 is lighted and bulb I6 is not lighted. Bulb d isin series in the circuit which consists of the batteries I5, bulb 6,tube 3, disc I, metal shell l4, switch I8 and bulb Hi.

In Fig. 2 the tube 3 is in direct physical and electrical contact withbatteries 15 and the bulb I 6 is illuminated while bulb 4 is not. Inthis case the circuit is the same as stated above except that the bulb Ais short circuited by direct contact of tube 3 with the batteries I5. Inthis case cap I is threaded further upon the shell l4 and has pressedtube 3 against the adjacent battery.

Referring further to Figs. 1 and 2, the device of this invention isoperated by closing the switch [8 and adjusting cap I on shell 14 tobring tube 3 into or out of contact with the adjacent battery or byadjusting cap H to effect the same result by urging batteries 15 towardcap 1. When tube 3 is out of contact with the battery, bulb l, sheathand tube 3 constitute the connection of the adjacent battery to shelll4; and when the tube 3 is in contact with the battery, bulb ii issubstantially short circuited and is not lighted. The circuit throughbulb 4, sheath 5, and spring 6 is of higher resistance than the circuitthrough tube 3 and accordingly substantially no current flows throughbulb 4.

By turning cap I through a few degrees or by turning cap I! a fewdegrees, it is possible to light one or the other of bulbs 4 and 16 butnot to light both together; Bulb 4 may be lighted mlvhen thebatteriesbecome too Weak to light bulb In the depicted assembly bulb I6is of relatively high amperage, i. e., 0.5 ampere, and bulb 4 is ofsubstantially less amperage, i. e., 0.25 ampere. Both are, however, ofsubstantially the same voltage and of voltage corresponding to thecapacity of the batteries in series circuit.

Having thus described my present invention so that others skilled in theart may be able to understand and practice the same state that what 6 Idesire to secure by Letters Patent is defined in what is claimed.

I claim:

1. In a flashlight assembly comprising a flashlight shell, dry batteriesin the shell, an electric light bulb adapted to be lighted byelectricity provided by the batteries and a transparent cap to engagethe shell and enclose the bulb, an elec- I trically conductive devicefor supporting and electrically connecting the bulb to the shell and forshunting the bulb out of a circuit including the batteries, said deviceconsisting of an electrically conductive disc having a central aperture,a tube connected to the disc in register with the aperture to receivethe base of the bulb, spring means in the tube to engage and urge thebulb endwise of the tube when the cap is moved endwise relative to theshell, and a resilient metal arm electrically connected to the disc andextending outwardly therefrom to assure constant electrical contactbetween the shell and disc when the cap and bulb are thus moved relativeto the shell.

2. A flashlight comprising an electrically conductive shell, a battery,a light bulb of relatively low electrical resistance but of voltagecorresponding to the capacity of the battery, and a switch operative toconnect said elements electrically, a second bulb of substantiallygreater electrical resistance than the first bulb but of voltagecorresponding to the battery capacity, a transparent cap to engage theshell and enclose the second bulb, and an electrically conductive devicefor supporting and electrically connecting said second bulb to the shelland for shunting the second bulb out of a circuit including thebatteries, said device consisting of an electrically conductive dischaving a central aperture, a tube connected to the disc in register withthe aperture to receive the base of the bulb, spring means in the tubeto engage and urge the bulb endwise of the tube when the cap is movedendwise relative to the shell, and a resilient metal arm electricallyconnected to the disc and extending outwardly therefrom to assureconstant electrical contact between the shell and disc when the cap andbulb are thus moved relative to the shell.

DONALD G. SCHAEFER.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the flle ofthis patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 1,287,186 Beard Dec. 10, 19181,421,093 Matson June 27, 1922 1,734,230 Roe Nov. 5, 1929 1,816,065Weidman July 28, 1931 2,194,992 Walsh Mar. 26, 1940 FOREIGN PATENTSNumber Country Date 450,647 England July 22, 1936

